On Sunday, March 17, 2013 1:42:43 AM UTC-5, Chris Rollings wrote:
Up elevator only matters on a nose-wheel aircraft. Most empty gliders sit
with the tail-wheel or skid on the ground so elevator position is almost
irrelevant.

Oh, how not true, Chris! Elevator position ALWAYS matters. And in fact, nose down is where the elevator should be when the glider is unattended. Why? Wind comes up from the nose, the elevator will raise the tail if the wind is high enough, reducing the angle of attack and making it less likely that the plane will blow away. Wind comes up from behind, it will keep the tail pinned to the ground. Same applies to both nose dragger and tail dragger planes. How many have seen single engine Cessnas blown over by a wind from behind because the tail was not secured and the control wheel was held back? I have seen quite a number.

And depending on the tail wheel, nose up elevator can help compress a tailwheel leaf spring increasing the angle of attack and make the plane more likely to blow away. Think 2-33s and the long, slender single leaf springs.

Steve Leonard